Changing and Staying the Same
by PaBurke
Summary: Eva Thorne thought that she was one of a kind. That her immortality was a scientific accident. She was wrong.


Changing and Staying the Same

By PaBurke

Crossover: Highlander and Eureka

Summary: Eva Thorne thought that she was one of a kind. That her immortality was a scientific accident. She was wrong.

Spoilers: Season 3 finale of Eureka and general knowledge of Highlander

Rating: Kid-friendly, though they wouldn't consider this interesting.

*

Methos had just been renewing his bus ticket. He didn't go out looking for trouble- that was MacLeod's shtick. A bus ticket was good for quick escapes and you didn't have to worry about exact change if you took care of it before hand. A bus was a good way to appear and disappear in the world. Methos had used it several times since it's creation and the train before. Distance was a great defense. Few Immortals thought that way which was why Methos was surprised to feel the Buzz as he stepped into the depot.

He glanced around. Who was the Immortal? None of the faces were familiar. No one looked like they were experiencing the Buzz, either. The smart ones knew not to show signs and would leave. No one was running for an exit. The Buzz wasn't changing. Were they waiting for Methos to make a move?

There.

The redheaded woman pulled at her ear a second time. Either she had an earache or her problem was Immortal in nature. Methos skirted the outside aisle of the depot, keeping a wary eye on his surroundings. Since the Buzz didn't change and Methos had kept the redhead at an equal distance, he had spied his quarry. Now to discover if she was friend or foe. He paid his money for the new ticket and approached the woman.

She looked up at him and her eyes narrowed. She didn't move another muscle. She would make a scene if he tried to force her out the depot. She had been older than the normal Immortal when she had died, mid-forties? She had the body of a woman who cared about her looks, not one in survival mode. She had never picked up a sword. She might have depended on her looks when she was younger but she depended on her wits now.

Methos was curious. He held out his hand and smiled, "Adam Pierson."

"Moira Wells."

That wasn't even close to her real name. He could spot a fake Irish accent faster than MacLeod. He sat beside her because it made her nervous. A quick glance over her and he realized that she carried no more than her purse. "Didn't your teacher tell you to be ready, always?"

Moira was surprised. "Teacher?"

A few Immortals manipulated older ones into becoming their teachers so as to get close and take their head. Methos didn't think this was the case. He eyed her. "From your Buzz you've been in this state for less than a hundred years, but you aren't new."

She gaped at him. "You mean…" she motioned at her ear.

He nodded. "So you have met one of our kind."

"He came after me with a I_sword_/I."

Methos had to chuckle. "It's the only way we can die."

She thought it through and her eyes widened when she figured it out. "You mean," she motioned across her throat.

"Yes," he said cheerfully. "So kind of the… others to improve their methods of killing and execution. We don't have to worry much about them getting us."

"So," she paused. "When I manipulated the other man into following me into a major electrical conductor and then set it to fry him?"

"Ooo," Methos winced. "A burn death plus a morgue… and a police investigation. Waking up from that would be painful in a multitude of ways. You are one tricky lady."

"But you said…."

"Only way for it to stick. You don't remember waking up from your first…" A bus number was called and people bustled around. They both knew that this was not the type of place to have this kind of discussion.

"How about dinner?" Methos suggested. "If you want to know more. You can pick the place… and pay for it."

"No," she shook her head slowly and regretfully. "The government is following me and this is too close to stop. I have to go on. Do you have an e-mail address?"

Methos smirked. He loved the anonymous internet. "Oldmanliveson –one word- at yahoo."

The woman laughed. The bus for Las Vegas was called and she immediately started collecting her stuff. "I must go."

"Good luck, child," he said.

"My name's Eva, Eva Thorne," she admitted. Methos would bet that the name wasn't any truer than Moira, but she had used it before. "I'll be in touch."

And she was gone. Methos left for the bar. He had to get a Watcher on Eva fast. The Immortals needed to know if the government believed in people who lived forever. Keeping an eye on the one in their sights would prove to be an advantage for them all.

*


End file.
